Computer aided modeling of a virtual reality is the task of creating a model of a geometrical object, interpreting the model, manipulating the model, and otherwise handling a model of a geometrical object in a computer system.
From a first point of view, modeling of a virtual reality is an interesting topic in that it makes it possible to visualize ideas before they are actually implemented in the real world. If the virtual reality model is sufficiently easy to modify much time can be saved in the process of developing and refining a geometrical object compared to a situation where the same process should have been carried in the real world. A simple task of painting an object in the real world may easily take several hours, whereas the computer can apply a new colour to visualize of a model within milliseconds or seconds
From a second point of view, modeling of a virtual reality is interesting in that it makes it possible to create a model of an object that exists in the real world and via a computer visualize and manipulate the model in some sense. Thus the model of the object in the real world can be stored for different purposes, e.g. for advanced documentation purposes.
Although there exists a huge amount of possible applications for computer aided virtual reality modeling, a special application is to use virtual reality modeling for entertainment or education.
Various types of modeling concepts of physical construction toy sets are known as such. Especially, concepts using modular or semi-modular concepts were, and are, very popular. Typically, these concepts provide a set of pre-manufactured elements that can be interconnected with each other in some predetermined way according to modules of the pre-manufactured elements. The pre-manufactured elements resembles well-known objects adapted to a specific modeling task. Thus in e.g. building a model of a house the elements may resemble wall bricks, roof tiles, doors, and windows. The object of selecting the elements in this way is that the work involved with the building of a model of a house is reduced significantly compared to a situation where all details of the house is to be defined each time a new model should be made. However, the complete freedom in building a house or another object is traded off for the simplicity of building the model.
This approach of having predefined elements is well known in the art of computer aided virtual reality modeling. Also, the concept of having modular elements that can be interconnected with each other is well known. But when it comes to representation in a computer of such models, the expediency of the concept of having predefined elements and modular systems is not fully accomplished in the prior art.
As long as computers have been used for computer aided design and modeling, a task requiring a large computational effort has been the visualization and manipulation of a model, including calculation of how the model should appear. One of the reasons why is that the complexity and refinements of the virtual reality models have been extended to follow the ever recent available computer technology and computationally power.
When it comes to transfer and interchange of data representing a model, the drawbacks of the complexity and refinements of the virtual reality models appear very clearly. Now some type of external unit in the form of a storage unit or a computer communication network is connected to the computer and thus extends the signal path for storing, loading and/or transmitting, receiving a model. Typically, such signal paths have a relatively low bandwidth compared to signal paths within a single computer. Thus an efficient scheme for representing a model is needed.
In particular, in the context of generating a model of predefined elements or construction elements which may be mutually interconnected via connection elements, such as connectors and corresponding receptors, a general problem arises of determining whether or not two virtual construction elements are connectable when placed in a certain position relative to each other. Connectivity information is important information in order to generate realistic models of physical objects, for example in order to ensure that a virtual model does not comprise any element which floats above a surface without being connected to a supporting part of the modelled object
In most real-world constructions sets a large variety of different construction elements exist which may be interconnected in many different ways.
Hence it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of generating a computer readable model of a geometrical object wherein a variety of different construction elements can be interconnected.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of generating a computer readable model of a geometrical object wherein the construction elements may be interconnected in a variety of possible ways.